National Gardening Association

"When You Garden, You Grow"

Garden Care Oak Ridge TN

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting a garden for the first time, this guide will help you to care for you garden. Learn how to handle pest problems, spread seeds, improve soil conditions, care for plants and more.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Pesticides. You will find helpful, informative articles about Pesticides, including "Garden Pests 101", "And You Think You've Got Garden Problems!", and "Ecological Pest Management Made Easy". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Pesticides.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for information on Organic Ant Control. You will find helpful, informative articles about Organic Ant Control, including and "Organic Fire Ant Control". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Organic Ant Control.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Organic Weed Killer. You will find helpful, informative articles about Organic Weed Killer, including "New, Natural Weed Killer", "Trials of the Best Organic Weed Killers", and "Weed Control from the Pantry". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Organic Weed Killer.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Organic Pesticides. You will find helpful, informative articles about Organic Pesticides, including "Organic Gardening 101" and "Chill Plants to Stop Mealybugs". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Organic Pesticides.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Green Gardening Supplies. You will find helpful, informative articles about Green Gardening Supplies, including "10 Ways to be Green" and "Versailles Gardens Go Green". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Green Gardening Supplies.

Fencing is the only sure-fired way to keep wild and domestic animals out of a prized garden long term. Although it can be expensive for large animals such as deer, it may be the only way to protect your yard from costly damage.

If you've tried repelling, excluding, and scaring away a pest animal and it's still causing problems, you can trap and release it, or use a lethal trap. Trapping is an effective way to remove a specific pest animal, but isn't useful against a large local population over the long run.

This fungus occurs worldwide. In North America it is especially troublesome in the humid eastern part of the continent. Beans develop round, black, sunken spots on pods and stems. Veins on leaf undersides turn black.

Aphids are found throughout the United States. These small, soft-bodied insects may be pale green, pink, black, or yellow, depending on the species. Some stages of the life cycle are winged, others wingless.

Bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ) is a terrible nuisance in gardens in the southern half of the United States. Improved turfgrass strains often behave themselves, but primitive forms are very difficult to control. It spreads in Oak Ridge by creeping stems, underground stolons, and seeds.

Bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis ) is a perennial vine in Oak Ridge with green, arrow-shaped leaves and 1-inch-wide morning glory-type flowers that may be pale pink or white. Extremely persistent, bindweed produces new plants from seeds and from buds on its roots. Bindweed roots can spread 30 feet from the parent plant.

Black medic ( Medicago lupulina ) is a thrifty yellow-flowered clover that usually grows as an annual. Common in lawns and gardens around the world, black medic often colonizes dry, infertile spots where little else will grow. Plants stay close to the ground until they are ready to bloom. By the time flowers appear, the stems may be 6 to 26 inches long.

Broadleaf plantain ( Plantago major ) is found throughout North America, usually in compacted places in lawns or in garden pathways. A tap-rooted perennial, plantain becomes dormant in winter in Oak Ridge, and new leaves appear in mid-spring.

Buckhorn plantain ( Plantago lanceolata ) is often called narrow-leaf plantain in Oak Ridge. This European import eagerly moves into moist lawn areas, or colonizes edges where lawns and garden beds come together. New seedlings of this hardy perennial appear all season, and small ones are easy to pull when the soil is moist.

Buttonweed comes in two forms in Oak Ridge, both of which can be persistent weeds in lawns. Annual common buttonweed ( Diodia teres ) has narrower, more pointed leaves compared to Virginia buttonweed ( D. virginiana ). Virginia buttonweed is more difficult to control because it is a perennial that grows back for several years. Pull young plants when the soil is moist.

Canada thistle ( Cirsium arvense ) is a persistent perennial weed in the northern half of North America. It produces new plants from buds on its wandering roots, and by shedding thousands of seeds. Promptly remove this or any thistle with rosy pink blossoms from your property in Oak Ridge.

Carpetweed ( Mollugo verticillata ) is an expert at colonizing moist places where shrubs, trees, and the lawn come together. Seeds germinate in late spring, and warm weather brings a rush of long, sticky stems studded with whorls of three to six leaves and small starry white flowers. Stems stay low to the ground in sun but may form 12-inch-tall mats in shade.

Man's best friends can also be your garden's worst enemy. An untrained dog can maul plants or dig up freshly planted bulbs, flowers, or your lawn. Cats won't do as much digging and damage in general, but they love to lie on freshly turned earth where your vegetable seeds were just planted.

These furry rodents are regulars at many backyard birdfeeders and will also attack a variety of garden targets such as young seedlings, berries, fruits, and vegetables. They even have been known to decapitate flowers such as tulips -- seemingly just for fun.

Cinquefoil ( Potentilla spp.) often sneaks into lawns in the eastern half of North America, where several species are native to open woodlands. The plants resemble strawberries, but the leaves are made up of five leaflets whereas strawberries (including weedy Indian mockstrawberry) have only three. Cinquefoil's leaves often are a medium to light green color.

Caterpillars bore small holes in the fruit, usually at or near the blossom end. Inside, the pinkish-white worms with brown heads feed on the flesh, leaving tunnels full of sawdustlike frass (droppings). Infested fruit often drops prematurely from trees in Oak Ridge.

If there's one garden pest that's universally despised, it's slugs. Not only do they eat prized vegetables, herbs, and flowers at night while you sleep, but when you do catch them, they're so slimy and squishy that many gardeners won't even touch them, let alone kill them in Oak Ridge.

Few insect pests are more widespread than whiteflies and aphids. They attack indoor and outdoor vegetables, flowers, herbs, shrubs, and trees. They breed quickly, and once their numbers are high, they can damage leaves, stems, fruits, and even roots by sucking plant juices in Oak Ridge.

Deer in rural areas are often more timid of human presence and activity than those in suburban areas, so different control methods may be effective. Your county agricultural extension service or local wildlife management office can give you the most accurate information about deer activity in your area in Oak Ridge.

Striped and spotted cucumber beetles are close relatives. Larvae of these beetles are 1/2- to 3/4-inch-long, white wormlike grubs that tunnel into and feed on the roots of corn plants, making them stunted, yellow, and unstable in Oak Ridge.

Corn speedwell ( Veronica arvensis ) seeds have a special talent for finding the one disturbed spot in an otherwise perfect lawn in Oak Ridge. Suddenly, in late spring, a little green weed with triangular, deeply scalloped lower leaves appears bearing small blue flowers. Both the leaves and stems are fleshy. A cool-season annual, speedwell blooms heavily in spring, and a second generation sprouts in fall.

Once confined to just the plains, this solitary canine is now found throughout the United States. Coyotes have learned to live with man by being active when man is not�when it's dark�and their presence may be more of a concern to pet and livestock owners. Since coyotes diet consists mostly of small animals and rodents, they could help your garden more than hurt it, but they can do their shar...

Crabgrass ( Digitaria species ) seedlings appear from mid-spring through summer in many types of soils in Oak Ridge. This fast-growing annual needs only warm rain to coax seeds to life. Where crabgrass infestation is severe, apply an organic corn gluten herbicide product in spring, keeping in mind that it will inhibit the growth of all types of newly germinated seeds.

Curculios are diminutive, so they're not easy to spot. You're more likely to see the damage they cause. Initially they make small, circular scars in the skins of developing apples and pears under which they lay eggs in Oak Ridge.

Dallisgrass ( Paspalum dilatatum ) is a pasture grass from South America that has become an invasive nuisance in the southern half of North America. Seedlings that emerge in spring resemble crabgrass but are much more difficult to pull because of their strong roots. Apply a corn gluten herbicide in spring to reduce seed germination.

Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ) is a perennial weed with a strong taproot that can make itself at home almost anywhere in Oak Ridge. No lawn or garden can escape dandelion seeds that blow on the wind from spring to fall.

Various types of downy mildew fungi cause disease in a number of crops across North America. Irregular brown or yellow spots develop on the upper leaf surface; the lower leaf surface beneath these spots is covered with a hairy white or purple mold during humid weather.

English daisy ( Bellis perennis ) is often grown as a colorful little perennial that blooms in shades of pink, but wild strains bearing white flowers with yellow centers can be persistent weeds in lawns. Often called lawn daisies, the plants survive mowing by holding their crowns close to the ground. The rosettes of rounded leaves block light to nearby grasses. Pull plants or gently dig...

Plant seeds of long-season crops indoors in pots before the last frost date in your area in Oak Ridge. Start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants 8 weeks early, cole crops about 4 to 6 weeks early, and vine crops 1 week early. Extend your harvest into fall by planting second crops of short-season vegetables, such as snap beans, peas, greens, radishes, cole crops, and turnips later in the season so they mature after you harvest the first crop.

These tiny beetles earn their name by jumping like fleas when disturbed. There are many pest species with varying markings and colorations. The blue-black flea beetle shown here is most common in Oak Ridge.

Collect black-eyed Susan seeds when the seed heads dry and turn brown or grey. Saving seeds can be economical, since a single flower can generate dozens or even hundreds of seeds. Although the procedure is simple, there are a few techniques that will improve your chances of being a successful flower grower.

Foxtail ( Setaria species ) seeds germinate from late spring to fall in Oak Ridge. This shallow-rooted annual grass prefers sun and grows so fast it can shade out small flowers and vegetables. Closely related species vary in height, from 2 to 5 feet, and all produce furry, bottlebrush seedheads.

Mowing and trimming -- especially when done properly -- improve the health and appearance of your lawn in Oak Ridge, reduce its need for water, and lessen your maintenance time. Tools and Materials String trimmer Rotary lawn mower with sharp blade Lawn mower Tape measure or ruler Rake Broom Trim first . If you use a string trimmer, use it before mowing.

Found mostly west of the Mississippi River, these burrowing animals range from 6 to 12 inches long and sometimes are confused with ground squirrels. However, these furry creatures with strong digging claws and sharp teeth can cause lots more damage to lawns and gardens than a squirrel.

Pest grasshoppers can be as large as 3" long. There are many species of grasshoppers in North America, and about 30 of these qualify as garden pests in Oak Ridge. They are most damaging in the center of the continent in a band extending from Minnesota and Montana in the north to Texas and New Mexico in the south.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Green Gardening Supplies. You will find helpful, informative articles about Green Gardening Supplies, including "10 Ways to be Green" and "Versailles Gardens Go Green". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Green Gardening Supplies.

Ground ivy ( Glechoma hederacea ) is also called creeping charlie in Oak Ridge. It is a hardy perennial found in moist, partially shaded sites throughout North America. Like its mint cousins, ground ivy's creeping stems root where they touch the soil, and the plants also shed numerous seeds.

Hawkweed ( Hieracium spp.) often forms dense colonies in areas of the lawn where the soil is infertile and acidic. A hardy perennial found throughout North America, hawkweed holds its rosettes of wildly hairy leaves close to the soil surface, safe from mower blades. Orange hawkweed ( Hieracium aurantiacum ) and meadow hawkweed ( Hieracium pratens ) are invasive forms that send up orange.

Henbit ( Lamium amplexicaule ) is a mint cousin that's common in gardens in the eastern half of the United States. You can also see it in Oak Ridge. In the north it is a spring annual. In the south, henbit sprouts in fall and blooms in early spring.

Hop clover ( Trifolium dubium ) seeds that find their way into dormant warm-season lawns quietly grow into sturdy rosettes during the winter months. In spring, stems studded with classic three-leaf clovers (and the occasional four-leaf version) lengthen and produce small yellow flower clusters. Use a sharp knife to cut plants off at the soil line to reduce reseeding .

Horsetail ( Equisetum arvense ) has been around in Oak Ridge since dinosaur days. It is a common perennial weed in the northern half of North America, especially in moist soils. Upright stems with cone-like tips bear spores, but horsetail owes its staying power to spreading roots.

A trellis covered in morning glories brightens up an old shed. Instead of imagining your garden in Oak Ridge as a flat canvas, look at it as a three-dimensional space. Picture plants growing up -- on trellises. There are a number of reasons, both aesthetic and practical, for growing plants on vertical structures.

The discolored foliage on this vinca is the result of a late frost, so rule out environmental factors before assuming there's a disease present. Most garden diseases in Oak Ridge are caused by fungi -- microscopic relatives of the common garden mushroom. Mature fungi release millions of spores that are then carried on the wind or otherwise get transferred to our plants.

The list of illnesses in Oak Ridge carried by summer's insect pests is daunting: encephalitis, West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, malaria, dengue fever, Lyme disease. Although the likelihood of contracting any of these diseases from an insect bite is very small, it still makes sense to protect yourself.

Indian mockstrawberry ( Duchesnea indica ) grows into a dense ground cover in moist shade, and often invades shady swaths of lawn in all except the dry mountain states. Like cultivated strawberries, the plants have three-lobed leaflets, but the edges of Indian mockstrawberry leaves have rounded scallops rather than points.

The larvae of a green lacewing busily feeding on aphids in Oak Ridge. Larvae can grow to 3/8" long. Lacewings are found throughout the United States. They are predators of many garden pests including aphids, thrips, mites, whiteflies, and other small, soft-bodied pests and their eggs. The larvae are yellowish-gray, mottled with brown, and have large mouthparts.

Adult ladybugs, or ladybird beetles, are typically a brick red or orange with black markings. But some are black, often with red markings. Their larvae look like miniature alligators, and they live up to their appearance by being voracious predators of many garden pests in Oak Ridge.

Perennial gardens in Oak Ridge require less maintenance than lawns, but they do need regular care to look their best and stay healthy. The following tasks are arranged in order of frequency from weekly to annually. Tools and Materials Scissors or hand pruners Trowel Water source, soaker hose or sprinkler Hoe with small, sharp blade Half-moon edger or garden spade Lawn rake Steel rake Perennials.

Healthy, vigorous vegetable plants in Oak Ridge produce the most flavorful and bountiful harvests. Give your garden plants the moisture and nutrients they need, and keep them weeded and harvested for tasty and nutritious crops. Tools and Materials Water source, hose, or watering can Organic mulch Hoe Fertilizer, 5-10-10 Water.

Mallow ( Malva neglecta ) is hollyhock's evil cousin common in Oak Ridge. Present throughout North America and common in the Midwest and northeast, mallow is an annual capable of surviving mild winters. The pale pink or white flowers are hard to see, but look for them and pull plants before the blooms give way to disc-shaped seedpods.

Given its size and spots, you might mistake this pest for a ladybug. Though related to ladybugs, Mexican bean beetles are far from beneficial. Their distinctive bronze background color gives away their identity.

These insect-eating underground dwellers are found throughout the country and prefer to dig in moist loamy soils, avoiding sandy or clay soils when possible. Contrary to popular opinion, most moles don't eat plants.

Various species of these microscopic worms are found all over North America, but they are a more severe problem in the South. They feed on the roots of a wide variety of plants, including tomatoes, celery, beans, and spinach.

Nimblewill ( Muhlenbergia shreberi ) grows as a native perennial grass in moist places in the eastern half of North America, but its green season is much too short to make it a good grass for lawns. This grass grows well through summer -- especially in partial shade -- and then becomes brown and fragile in early fall.

Nutsedge ( Cyperus esculentus ) is a perennial weed that usually appears in Oak Ridge. Common in moist soils throughout much of North America, nutsedge reproduces by shedding seeds and by developing nut-like edible "chufas" on its root tips.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for information on Organic Ant Control. You will find helpful, informative articles about Organic Ant Control, including and "Organic Fire Ant Control". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Organic Ant Control.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Organic Pesticides. You will find helpful, informative articles about Organic Pesticides, including "Organic Gardening 101" and "Chill Plants to Stop Mealybugs". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Organic Pesticides.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Organic Weed Killer. You will find helpful, informative articles about Organic Weed Killer, including "New, Natural Weed Killer", "Trials of the Best Organic Weed Killers", and "Weed Control from the Pantry". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Organic Weed Killer.

Several tiny wasps are parasites of garden pests. Most common are the Ichneumon wasps, Braconid wasps (pictured at left), and Chalcid wasps. You're much more likely to see the work of these tiny parasitic wasps than the insects themselves.

This page provides useful content and local businesses that can help with your search for Pesticides. You will find helpful, informative articles about Pesticides, including "Garden Pests 101", "And You Think You've Got Garden Problems!", and "Ecological Pest Management Made Easy". You will also find local businesses that provide the products or services that you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Oak Ridge, TN that will answer all of your questions about Pesticides.

Pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus ) is often called redroot pigweed because of its pinkish red root. A warm-weather annual most common where summers are hot, pigweed seeds sprout in late spring or early summer. Several common garden insect pests eat pigweed, so some gardeners allow a few plants to remain among vegetables, and then pull them out before they develop seeds.

Poison ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans ) often grows as a ground cover in Oak Ridge until it finds a tree. It then becomes a long-lived deciduous vine. Resin in poison ivy leaves and stems causes severe itching that often persists for three weeks. Learn to recognize poison ivy's glossy three-leaflet leaves, and always wear gloves, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when working near it.

After a season of enjoying the blooms from your perennial flower garden, late fall is the time in cold-winter regions (USDA Climate Hardiness Zones 8 and colder) to prepare the beds for winter. Taking good care of beds in fall will help them thrive next spring and summer.

Prickly lettuce ( Lactuca serriola ) seeds travel with the help of their downy, white plumes. Seedlings of this hardy annual appear in damp soil in spring and summer. Mature plants grow 3 to 5 feet tall, and produce small, yellow flowers. Broken stems and leaves bleed white latex sap. Found throughout much of North America, prickly lettuce can grow in any type of soil.

Prostrate knotweed ( Polygonum aviculare ) is one of the first annual weeds to appear in spring in Oak Ridge. Common throughout most of North America, knotweed stems spiral outward from a central crown, forming mats of blue-green foliage. A thin, light green sheath covers the base of each blue-green leaf, and helps to hide the small white flowers that are wedged into the leaf axils.

"Bramble" the name given to plants in the genus Rubus, which includes the many forms of raspberries(including red, golden, black, and purple kinds) and blackberries (both upright and trailing types) in Oak Ridge.

Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea ) appears after the soil warms in late spring or early summer. Common in rich, fertile soil, purslane's succulent stems and leaves stay close to the ground. Young leaves and stems are edible. Tiny flowers at stem tips quickly give way to seedpods. Purslane seeds can persist in soil for years, so pull young seedlings or cultivate older plants.

Quackgrass ( Agropyron repens ) is a persistent perennial weed in the northern half of North America. Plants usually appear in broad, 1- to 3-foot-tall clumps in Oak Ridge, because new shoots grow from wandering underground rhizomes.

Raccoons are nocturnal animals that are thriving thanks to increased human contact, as anyone with an unsecured dumpster or trash can will attest. Wild populations prefer areas with trees and water nearby.

Ragweed ( Ambrosia artemisiifolia ) is a native, warm-weather annual found throughout North America, usually in sunny sites. It can crowd out garden plants, plus ragweed pollen causes hay fever. Learn to recognize the deeply cut leaves, and pull young plants from moist soil or spray them with an organic herbicide containing acetic acid or clove oil.

Shepherd's purse ( Capsella bursa-pastoris ) and several similar wild mustard cousins grow as cool-season annuals throughout North America. Seedlings are hardy to 0 degrees F, and often begin flowering at a young age. Triangular seedpods quickly develop. Left uncontrolled, one plant may shed 40,000 seeds. Young plants are easy to pull from moist soil, and they make good compost fodder.

Sorrel ( Rumex acetosella ) is closely related to the salad herb of the same name, but the wild version is often called sheep's sorrel. The young, arrowhead-shaped leaves are edible and have a sharp, sour flavor. A hardy perennial, sorrel is most common in the eastern half of North America. Plants spread by seed, and by producing plantlets on shallow roots.

This bug gets its name from its coppery-brown color. It is a major pest, especially for commercial growers. The list of favorite hosts reads like a catalog of major crops: apples and cotton to flowers and vegetables.

Unless you have a magnifying glass, you probably won't see these tiny pests on your plants, but you may notice signs of their presence, including black, shiny speckles (droppings), silvery stippling (masses of tiny discolored scars on plant parts), or, in severe cases, deformed growth.

Local resource for weeding supplies in Oak Ridge. Includes detailed information on local businesses that provide access to gardening supplies, gardening equipment, weeding supplies, weeding equipment, planting supplies, and yarrows, as well as advice and content on organic weeding.

White clover ( Trifolium repens ) is a spreading perennial legume that often becomes a volunteer companion crop for lawn grasses in Oak Ridge. It also turns up in gardens, along with several other clovers that bloom pink or yellow. A little white clover in your lawn will help provide nitrogen, but in your vegetable garden only allow clover to grow between rows.

Wild buckwheat ( Polygonum convolvulus ) is easily confused with field bindweed, but wild buckwheat is a summer annual. Most common in cool climates, wild buckwheat seeds sprout in late spring, and the plants quickly twine up their closest upright neighbor. Tiny greenish white flowers quickly produce seeds. Pull young plants, or cultivate with a sharp hoe.

Wild garlic ( Allium vineale ) grows in fall and spring in lawns, fields, and gardens in all but the coldest climates. Often called wild onion, this plant is native to Europe. Wild garlic is especially noticeable in dormant, warm-season lawns or near long-lived perennials. Dig plants in fall or spring, carefully lifting plants from beneath to get the roots and little corms.

Woodsorrel ( Oxalis stricta ) is a weedy wildflower that grows either as a perennial or a hardy annual throughout North America. This member of the shamrock family thrives in fertile flower beds, lawns, and in the shady nooks beneath shrubs.